AMD introduced the Ryzen 5 processors as a mid-way offering between the budget Ryzen 3 and Ryzen 7 chips. The nomenclature has been inspired by Intel processors to quite an extent. And, the wide variety of chips that AMD has launched in this lineup makes concluding them quite difficult. But, when we compartmentalize our efforts to just “gaming”, do these processors stack up well enough? Let us find out.
What are the Latest Ryzen 5 Processors Available on the Market?
The latest AMD Ryzen 5 processors include the offerings in the 5000 series. These are the Ryzen 5 5600X, the Ryzen 5 5600G, and the newly launched Ryzen 5 5600 and the 5500. Some older but still relevant chips include the Ryzen 5 3600X, the Ryzen 5 3600 and the Ryzen 5 3600 XT.
Are AMD Ryzen 5 Processors Enough for Gaming?
Some of these chips, like the Ryzen 5 5600X, are insanely powerful. With solid single-core and multi-core performance, this chip became a top seller for the numbers it touched in gaming workloads. On the other hand, the Ryzen 5 5600G is an AMD APU. It packs the Vega 7 iGPU based on the GCN 5th generation architecture. This APU is quite capable, and can easily run some less-intensive and well-optimised titles like Valorant and Fortnite at 1080p with decent framerates.
The newly launched Ryzen 5 5600 is a great value-for-money offering too. It cannot overclock as well as the 5600X, but performance in games is quite competitive. However, the Ryzen 5 5500 is on the other end of the spectrum. It performs well but provided the price tag AMD asks for it, we are not comfortable recommending it AMD’s Ryzen 3000 series processors still stack up pretty well. The Ryzen 5 3600 became one of the most selling processors because of its insane value proposition and performance.
AMD had launched a bunch of Ryzen 5 processors in the 3000 series. These include the quad-core 3400G, the more expensive 3600X and the 3600XT chips. We do not recommend the 3600XT at all because of the price AMD asks for it. But, with the insanely powerful Vega 11, the 3400G is a sweet offering. It matches the performance of the Ryzen 7 5700G while being significantly cheaper.
Overall, the Ryzen 5 processors are a safe bet for gaming.
